


The Scars That Mark My Body

by thekidisreal



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Avengers Family, BAMF Laura Barton, Discussion of Abortion, Domestic Avengers, Foster Care, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Inhumans (Marvel), Multi, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pregnancy, Protective Clint Barton, Secret Children, Self-Harm, Team as Family, Teen Pregnancy, but not really, fucked up foster system, made up fantasy creatures, mostly avengers - Freeform, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-01-19 01:52:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12400671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekidisreal/pseuds/thekidisreal
Summary: Nadia was a drifter. She drifted - from home to home, life to life, good to bad and everything in between. She drifted because there was nothing to hold her down. No family, few friends, no love. Anger and fear drifted along with her. Anger and fear sewed up open wounds and exploded out to attack anyone or anything that dare try and tear her walls down. Anger and fear made her dangerous, and dangerous was far better than vulnerability, especially for a drifter. But SHIELD was interested in dangerous, even if dangerous wasn't interested in them. So the dangerous drifter ended up in SHIELD's hold, never knowing that it would take her to a home she never knew existed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been nursing this plot bunny for the past 3(ish) years and it just won't leave me alone. I've had to adjust the storyline and characters more than once since Marvel keeps screwing with "my" characters. This led to me incorporating AOS characters since them having the role they do makes more sense that the ones I had originally given it to. I will admit that I've only seen a few episodes of AOS so if I'm getting anything wrong feel free to let me know. If you're here for those characters, I hate to disappoint but they won't be major parts of the story save for the first few chapters. More tags and maybe characters will be added later on since I know where this story is heading but they'd probably give away some spoilers. I am ignoring the events of Civil War partially because I'm still distressed by it and partially because it makes what I want to happen pretty much impossible. So it's canon up to AOU, basically, except I included a reformed Bucky bc this is fan /fiction/ and I can do what I want haha. There's a lot of intense stuff in this fic so please heed the tags! I hope you enjoy!

Worn boots pounded on the pavement, left, right, left, right. Her breath came in short pants, dark hair flying to the side when she dared to look back at her pursuer. The ratty backpack on her shoulders bounced against her back with every stride, contents clunking. 

In the end, it was a brick that did it. She had just looked back at the buff figure chasing her down when her toes caught on the brick, sending her sprawling onto concrete. Her cheek skidded along the ground and the skin split, blood pooling at the surface. Almost instantly, the man trailing the girl jumped on her, pinning her malnourished body to the ground. Tears leaked from dull blue eyes, dirty nails desperately scrabbling at the pavement. 

Much the man’s surprise, the girl went quickly went limp underneath him. He proceeded to drag her to her feet, hands held behind her back. Even then, she simply cast her eyes at the ground, seemingly waiting for him to do something. When silence dragged on for a moment, she reluctantly opened her mouth, voice cracking. 

“Just do it, please. Just do it and get it over with.”

His brow wrinkled together in confusion for a moment. “Look kid, I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but I’m just going to take you in. Your freedom run or whatever is over.” The teenager grew stiff in his grasp at that and swore under her breath. Sticking to the back roads to avoid prying eyes, the man efficiently moved the girl to a waiting van a couple blocks away. 

A slim brunette slid the door open and stretched out a hand to help the girl inside. Confused, the girl ignored it and got it herself. Once inside, the man began to drive and the woman sat across from her. “I’ve got to say,” the girl said “this is a pretty new method collecting kids off the street.” The woman glanced in the rearview mirror, making eye contact with the man. “Why do you think you’re here?” she asked. The girl’s brow crinkled. “You’re with CPS, the government, whatever, right? I ran away and now you have to get me back so you aren’t held accountable if I die or something.” 

Slowly, the woman shook her head. “I’m Agent Daisy Johnson from SHIELD and this is one of my team members, Agent Mackenzie.” She gestured to the man in now in the driver’s seat. “We’re a government agency that takes down major threats such as the Battle of New York and the Thor incident in New Mexico. I trust you’ve heard about those?” The girl nodded, “Yeah… what do you want with me?” Agent Johnson opened a laptop and began to type. “We also investigate Inhumans- people with specialized, sometimes supernatural abilities that need help understanding and controlling their powers. We think you are an Inhuman.” 

The girl laughed in disbelief. “No, no. This is some kind of messed up prank. Let me go, okay? I promise I’ll lay low or whatever. I don’t need help.” She turned to open the door of the van despite the fact that they were moving, only to find it locked from the outside. She began to hyperventilate, hands coming up to pull at her hair. “I didn’t do anything! Just let me go, please! I don’t want this!” 

Various objects in the van began to shake and rattle around. Upon seeing this, the girl developed a terrified look and curled into herself, which only made everything move more. Agent Johnson moved to lay a hand on the girl’s shoulder, prompting her jerk back, hands flying up to cover her face. Under her breath she was muttering; some words were intelligible, some not. “Stop, stop, make it stop, please, stop it.” Her hands were shaking and suddenly all the power in the van blew out, sparks flying in the air. The man efficiently pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and the woman tackled the girl. She pulled a vial with a needle in the end out of her pocket, then jabbed it into the neck of the girl. Seconds later she was limp, laying slumped on the floor of then van, cuffed to a metal bench. The two agents quickly went about fixing the vehicle, stepping over her motionless body when necessary. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When she came to, the girl was strapped down to a bed, cuffs around all her limbs and across her torso. Slowly, she turned her head, blinking and squinting in the harsh light. As she scanned the room she spotted a nurse fiddling around with medical equipment and Agent Johnson sitting in a chair. 

When the agent saw her wake, she slowly stood and walked over to her bedside. “My apologies for the tranquilizer, it was for the best.” When the girl simply glares and says nothing, Johnson continues. “Nadia, right? You remember what I said about SHIELD and your status as an inhuman?” Nadia nods, still struggling slightly against the restraints. 

Agent Johnson regards her for a long moment. “If I take these off,” she says, motioning to the cuffs, “will you not run off?” Wide blue eyes look up hesitantly. “Yes.” When they are off Nadia sits up, stretching her joints. “I don’t get it. What do you want me for?” 

“You have powers that have the potential to hurt people. We can’t legally let you back out into the world and I wouldn’t do it from a moral standpoint either. So, we’re going to evaluate you and teach you to control your abilities, then go from there.” The Agent beckons the nurse over to remove the IV in her arm, saying something about it just being standard hydration fluids. Nadia jumps off the bed and follows the agent as she walks to another examination room, the one lacking a bed with restraints. “My supervisor wants you evaluated as soon as possible. We’ll be doing a full medical exam since I doubt you’ve seen a doctor consistently, and then we’ll do a physical evaluation.” Nadia simply nodded, keeping her face expressionless. 

As the teenager fiddled with her hands, Daisy leaves the room and returns with a man in a lab coat pushing a cart full of medical equipment. Almost a dozen different tests were done – blood drawn, eyes checked, x-rays done, limbs prodded. Throughout the process Nadia remained silent, answering questions only when necessary. Occasionally the girl flinched when the doctor approached or moved a certain way. Daisy took this all in carefully, mentally trying to figure out just what had happened to this girl. When the results of the tests came back, it was revealed that Nadia had a variety of old, untreated injuries. 

“Nadia,” the doctor questioned, “can you tell me why these weren’t treated?” At this, the teenagers curled in on herself more and shrugged. “I guess I didn’t think they were that bad, and I don’t have money for a doctor.” 

Daisy stepped forward. “Okay, well don’t worry about payment here. All of this is covered by us.” The girl mumbled a quiet thank you and Daisy gestured at the doctor to continue. “Okay” he began, “just a couple more things. Can you tell me the date of your last period?” Nadia’s expression grew even more uncomfortable, if that were possible. “I-I’m not sure. I’ve never been reg-regular. A couple months maybe?” The doctor took a deep breath and stood, bringing a piece of paper over to Daisy. “These are the results of her blood test.” He said, pointing to one specific note. “I think she’s more receptive to you so you should talk to her from here on out. I’ll send in a female nurse in a couple minutes.” Daisy let out a long breath and then straightened her shoulders. “Of course, thank you.” 

When the doctor was gone, the agent took a seat on the stool by Nadia’s bedside. “The results of the blood test showed that your HCG levels are high, meaning you’re most likely pregnant.” Nadia’s face paled instantly. “No. No no no. No, this can’t be happening. That’s wrong. It has to be. It has to be.” 

Around the room, various objects began to rattle. Daisy quickly grabbed the girl’s wrists. At first this only served to aggravate Nadia further, but Daisy’s continued hold eventually calmed her somewhat. 

When the nurse entered the room she found Nadia breathing erratically but not resisting Daisy’s comfort. The older woman rose to greet the nurse after gently guiding Nadia to lean back against the examination table. The agent quickly whispered to the nurse who then turned to Nadia. “Hi Nadia, my name is Izzy. I’m just going to do a quick examination to see what’s going on.” The girl only nodded and looked at the ceiling. As Izzy began the ultrasound, she narrated everything that was happening. This seemed to ease Nadia’s tension, if only slightly. After a couple minutes, the three women could see a grainy black and white image on the screen. As Izzy moved the ultrasound wand around, she took notes on pad of paper. “Okay, wow,” she started “it looks like you’re a little over six months along. The baby is pretty small which is why you’re barely showing, but proper care and nutrition can help that some. We’ll need to keep a close eye on you for the next few months and I can’t guarantee everything being perfectly fine. Since I think you need me to be completely honest, I can probably guarantee that things will be difficult, but we’ll be doing everything we can. Do you have any questions?” Nadia, who had only glanced at the screen for a moment, was once again staring at the ceiling with an indiscernible expression on her face. “Take it out.” Izzy cocked her head. “Excuse me?” 

“Take it out. Take it out now.” The nurse looked to Daisy whose face had grown concerned. “Nadia,” the agent questioned, “do you mean you want an abortion?” The teenager nodded, tears shining in her eyes. “Please, as soon as possible.” Daisy looked to Izzy. “How soon can we do that?” The nurse seemed to cringe and twisted her hands. “The legal limit for an abortion is six months. Since you’re passed that we can’t do it.” A container exploded across the room, prompting Daisy to crouch next the bed, shooing the nurse out. Slowly, she put her right hand over Nadia’s and squeezed it lightly and shushing the girl gently. “Could you tell me why you want an abortion?” The teenager shook her head, tears still running down her face. “The reasons don’t matter. I’ll just give it up when it’s born or whatever. I don’t even know how the thing lasted this long anyway. I definitely wasn’t taking any extra care.” 

“They do matter.” Daisy pressed, “We can help you do what you actually want, not what you think you have to do. If you don’t want it, you don’t want it. That’s fine. I just want you to really think it over and be sure, you know?” 

The tears seemed to somehow harden on Nadia’s face as she lifted her head to look at Daisy. “This thing isn’t the lovechild of me and some guy I’m in love with. It’s inside me because a random, nasty, disgusting man decided he just had to fuck me whether I wanted him too or not. I don’t want it and I never will.” With that, she turned towards the wall, arms crossed, leaving Daisy thoroughly silenced.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I forgot to mention in the first chapter's notes, but I'm aware that Nadia's powers are sorta similar to Quake (that's her 'superhero name' right?)/Daisy's but I honestly came up with this plot before that storyline began. Originally this story was actually was going to start during the Battle of New York but movies kept coming out and I didn't keep writing so I changed a huge part of the story, specifically how Nadia got connected to the Avengers. Using the AOS characters seemed like the most realistic way to do it which is why I'm using them despite not knowing the show that well at all. Anyway, thanks so much for the kudos so far and I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: this chapter contains mildly graphic descriptions of self-harm. I will put a **** just before the potentially triggering content begins and another **** when it's over so that you can easily skip over it. You don't miss too much plot or maybe not even any so no need to worry about that :)

Daisy walked into the meeting room, rubbing her face in her hands. As she sighed, she collapsed into a chair at the table to wait for her teammates to join her. Suddenly Fitz and Simmons burst into the room, holding a tablet between them and speaking rapidly, hands gesturing wildly. At this, Daisy lifted her head and asked what the problem was. Simmons practically thrust the tablet into Daisy’s hands, pointing to a data point on what seemed to be Nadia’s medical record. 

“We always run new inhuman blood through our databases in case we can find relatives or genetic similarities amongst them but the blood sample from the girl you just brought in immediately showed a parental familial relation to a non-inhuman in the SHIELD personnel database, specifically on the Avengers roster. If the program isn’t glitching, this girl might not be inhuman. She has powers because she’s Thor’s daughter.” 

Daisy pushed off the table and stood, tapping the tablet to look further into the data. Everything seemed to check out, causing her head to spin. How did Thor have a daughter that they didn’t know about, especially one living on Earth and not on Asgard? Not to mention that the girl seemed to have no idea of her status. Pushing open the door, Daisy strode into the hallway, flanked by Fitz and Simmons. When they arrived at the room Nadia had been in, there was no sign of her. “Shit,” Daisy cursed “I should’ve known she was a runner.” Using the comm system, the three agents alerted the others on the craft that Nadia was unaccounted for and split up to search for her. 

****  
May stalked the halls, hand resting on her holster due to the girl’s violent record. In the end, it was her that found Nadia. The teenager had found the weapon’s store and had seemingly shattered the bulletproof casing around the knives. Agent May took her hand from her gun and instead held them out in front of her. Nadia was standing against the wall, shoulders heaving up and down as her shaking hands held a knife to her stomach. Blood was already dripping from her forearm, thin lines of red obvious against her pale skin. 

Despite the fact that her hands were shaking, Nadia’s voice remained steady when she spoke. “Go away.” May took a step forward. “I can’t do that.” 

The knife pressed further into the girl’s stomach, the fabric of her shirt tearing. “I said,” she winced and grit her teeth “go away.” A drop of blood seeped through the cotton. May ran towards the girl, not noticing the contents of the room beginning to shake. To the agent’s left, a container of bullets suddenly exploded and shrapnel hit the two females. Melinda took advantage of the moment of confusion to grab Nadia’s arm and drag her out of the room before a fire started. Once in the hallway, Nadia turned the knife on May. The teenager managed to graze the agent’s face before Melinda put her in a body bind and grabbed the knife, throwing in away from them.   
****

Nadia was breathing hard as she struggled against May’s hold. When Mack appeared at the other end of the hallway, Agent May loosened her hold on the girl, figuring she was contained between the two agents. As soon as Nadia saw Mack she lept into the air, pushing off May’s stomach with her feet. The agent curled into herself for a moment and when she stretched up her mouth dropped open. Black wings had burst forth from Nadia’s back and filled the width of the hallway. May stopped for a moment, able to do nothing but stare the girl in her ice blue eyes. Suddenly May was no longer looking into Nadia’s eyes, but rather Agent Mackenzie’s. Nadia was between them, crumpled on the floor, her wings gone, a tranquilizer dart protruding from her back.

“A bit old school,” Mack smirked “but it works.” May nodded unsteadily, still in shock at what had just happened. She shook her head as if to clear it, dragging her hands over her face. “We need to bandage her arms and check to see if she wounded her stomach.” Mack agreed and pointed at May’s face. “Get yourself patched up too, I’ll see if Daisy or Coulson can get in contact with the Avengers and Thor.” 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nadia woke to find herself restrained once again; something that she had to admit was sort of fair. The agent from her medical exam, Daisy, was pacing the room while talking on the phone.

“Why would I know how to get in contact with Asgard?” she was saying “I’m sure Stark and Banner can figure it out.” Nadia shifted slightly, hissing when the cuffs rubbed against her bandaged wrists. The Agent turned around and looked and Nadia before turning away again. “I have to go, the girl’s awake. We need Thor ASAP, okay?” With that, her phone was shoved into her pocket as she sat in a chair next to Nadia’s bed. 

Daisy smiled, but was met with a glare from Nadia. "You should've let me do it."

The agent ran a hand through her hair. "I know that's what you want, to be honest I might want that too if I were you; we just can't let you do that to yourself." The teenager stared up at the ceiling, eyes still hard and icy. "Why do you care what I do to myself?" Daisy picked up a tablet from a nearby table and began to tap at it. "Well for starters, morals and ethics and all that." Nadia rolled her eyes. "The people I've dealt with don't typically take those into account." Daisy didn't look up from the screen but said "Hopefully that changes soon." 

Nadia rolled her eyes again.

After a few minutes of silence passed, Daisy turned the tablet to Nadia. On the screen was a full profile on the girl, complete with photos they had taken upon her intake. Looking at the pictures of her scars and other injuries, the teenager cringed. Daisy scrolled the screen down, revealing the information that child protective services had on Nadia. The names of dozens of foster families were there, as well as a behavioral record. That section was a long one. Further scrolling led to a section entitled 'family'. Nadia laughed coldly and looked at Daisy. "I am /so/ interested to see what you have on me in regards to family, given the last time I checked I've got none." 

Daisy couldn't resist smirking just slightly as she scrolled down past the section title, watching Nadia's face as she did so. The teenager's expression transformed from disinterest, to confusion, to surprise, all in less than a minute. She turned to Daisy, mouth gaped open. "No." she shook her head. "No, why would you prank me like this? This is so stupid, I can't.. I can't..." She trailed off. 

Agent Johnson moved to gently undo the restraints on Nadia. Part of her wondered whether this was the stupidest thing she could possibly do, setting her free right when her emotions were spiking; but she couldn't help but think that Nadia needed not to feel contained right now. The girl shook out her wrists and rose shaky hands to her head, running them through her hair. Her eyes were wide open, unblinking but looking at nothing. Further time passed in silence, Nadia still frozen in shock. 

Eventually she slowly turned her head to Daisy. "Why should I believe you?" The agent tucked the tablet away, resting her elbows against the cot Nadia was on. "Well, we found this out from the DNA in your blood. It matched another in our system, which turned out to be Thor's. Our tech team is working on contacting him now- he's in Asgard so that's easier said than done- but hopefully he'll be here soon and we can see what he has to say." 

Nadia laughed, a humorless, bitter laugh, one that had no trace of happiness. "Oh, so I can hear how he didn't want me? Why he and my mother left me at a hospital as soon as I was born? So he can see what a shit show I turned out to be?" She laughed again, gesturing to her stomach. "I'd love that." Daisy sighed, frustrated. "You don't know that that's true. Given that you didn't grow up on Asgard I'm sure it's complicated." Nadia responded with nothing more than a hum of assent and turned away from Daisy to face the wall. 

"I'll leave you alone for a bit." the agent said softly "There's nothing in here you can hurt yourself with and I'll be honest, there's security cameras that we can watch you with so it's not worth it to try." Daisy pointed to the corner of the ceiling and left.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Agent Johnson arrived in their main meeting area to chaos. Thor was thundering around, demanding answers. Tony Stark was standing against the wall, amusedly observed the proceedings. Everyone looked up when Daisy walked in. "Hey." she waved. Thor strode over to her immediately, red cape billowing behind him. "Where is my daughter? I must see her." Coulson stepped in between Daisy and Thor, holding his hands up placating. "Hold on a sec buddy, we need to get some things straight first." 

The god huffed and turned away. "What's there to ask? I'm her father, you told me of the DNA match and that it cannot be wrong." Daisy stepped up to one of the large screens in the room and began to pull up Nadia's profile. "There's actually a lot to ask, considering you haven't once mentioned her existence in all your dealings with us. She's been through a lot big guy, I doubt you're gonna walk in there and she'll be 'daddy's little girl'." Thor moved next to her, reading the information displayed in front of him. 

Everyone looked on with bated breath, watching the thunder god absorb what he was seeing. His breath caught more than once, especially so upon reaching her medical file. A few long minutes later, he turned away and collapsed into a chair with a shaky sign. "I thought her lost to me, and maybe she still is." 

Tony slowly approached his fellow avenger, crouching near his chair. "What'dya mean big guy?" Thor ran a large hand through his unruly hair, breathing in unsteadily. "Mexico wasn't the first time I came to earth. About eighteen years ago my mother sent me here with my memories of Asgard temporarily removed. She wanted me to learn how to live without the privilege of being in a wealthy, powerful family, so she manipulated her magic to make me a nineteen year old in a low class family. I did learn the lesson she wanted me to, but during my time on earth I also met a woman named Allison and quickly fell in love with her. We then unexpectedly conceived a child shortly after we met."

The occupants of the room had all settled into chairs as Thor talked, listening with rapt attention to his story. While he had been speaking, Thor had not looked up at his companions but as he paused he did. His blue eyes- the same eyes as Nadia's -brimmed with tears. The god sheepishly looked around and took a heaving breath before beginning to speak again. 

“We intended to raise the child together but Allison…” Thor sighed, “Allison died during childbirth and I was left alone with Nadia. Upon seeing this, Heimdall alerted my parents and they retrieved me. They forced me to leave my daughter behind and took me back to Asgard. I believe it was my father’s choice to do so as he didn’t want our blood mixing with that of a Midgardian. Upon returning home I was so distraught with grief that my memories of my life on earth were taken. It was after Mexico that my mother granted those memories back as she felt I could handle them then. “

He rubbed a large hand over his face, shoulders shuddering with emotion. “I was led to think she was lost to me- that she probably had a good life with a family. I never thought she would endure this. I didn’t think about powers she would inherit, she’s half midgardian after all. What can she do exactly?” 

Agent Johnson seemed to jolt out of a trance and stepped forward to the screens, pulling up the security footage from earlier in the day. “It’s probably easiest to just show you.”

Thor stood, slowly but purposefully striding towards her, eyes locked on the videos. He watched silently as his daughter blew up various objects, hands crackling with electricity as she did so. Daisy then switched to the tapes from her and Agent May’s fight. The god of thunder seemed impressed by his daughter’s fighting skills but frowned at her self-harm and subtly wiped his eyes. 

Then her wings were revealed and he gasped, stumbling back from the screen. “No…” he murmured “no, no, no.” He quickly turned to the rest of the room who were equally entranced, seeking out May from amongst them. He strode over to her, cape twisting behind him. “Did you truly see this? I have to know. There is no way that’s an illusion, you’re sure?” The Agent nodded. “I did. What’s so significant about her wings?”

Thor turned away from her, crossing the room again. “I think maybe my father didn’t make me leave her on earth just because of her Midgardian blood.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> did I take a lot of liberty with Norse mythology in this chapter? yep, and I'll continue to do so throughout this fic, so if that bothers you, adios I guess. anyway, hope you enjoy - next chapter we'll be really getting into the thick of the story (and meeting all the other avengers) now that things have been set up!

Thor drew in a sharp breath. “She must be kept a secret from my parents, my father especially.” He paced the conference room in distress, the other occupants of the room looking on in confusion and concern. Tony stepped forward, grabbing Thor’s shoulders in his hands and stopping the god’s motion. “Thor, buddy,” he said, “you have to tell us what’s so startling about those wings of hers. We can help you, help her.” He looked over his shoulder at the agents and grimaced. “Maybe.” Thor shrugged Tony’s hands off of him, turning away. 

“Have any of you heard of the Valkyrie?” Fitz and Simmons both perked up, nodding. “There are also Dalkyrie, a race whose existence we worked to erase from our history. They are dark Valkyrie, which I’m afraid Nadia is. The original Dalkyrie were nothing more than Valkyrie who turned evil but when they produced heirs they were dark as well. Now just as Valkyrie can randomly occur, Dalkyrie can too. They aren’t inherently evil, but their powers are meant to be destructive and they bear black wings. Most are cast out from birth and end up being violent because of that, but if raised normally they can be good.” 

The god looked at the screens, which were again displaying Nadia’s file. His shoulders heaved as he breathed in deeply. “I don’t know what can be done in Nadia’s case, but I will do everything I can to help her.” He turned to Daisy. “Please, let me see her.” The young agent turned to Coulson and May, wordlessly asking for their opinion. Obviously getting an answer, she looked back at Thor and gestured towards the door. “Sure, I’ll take you to her now, but just, uh, be prepared for her to… not to be friendly.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nadia had been counting things, from ceiling tiles to sheep; anything to avoid thinking about the parasite inside her or the fact that her father was a god. She didn’t really know how much time had passed, figured it better not to wonder that, when the door opened. The agent who had been with her through most of the bizarre day walked in first, once again sitting on the chair next to her bed. 

“Hey,” she said softly, “glad you’ve settled in a bit.” She offered Nadia a small smile as if that was a joke. Nadia wasn’t finding it funny. Daisy reached up to undo the cuffs and before Nadia realized what she was doing, she shrunk back, eyes going wide. The smile fell off Agent Johnson’s face, giving Nadia an odd sort of satisfaction. 

When the cuffs were gone, the Agent glanced toward the door, sparking suspicion in Nadia. “So,” she started “I won’t beat around the bush. We have Thor here, and he knows everything, at least everything you’ve told us, about your situation.” Nadia could feel her heart pounding in her chest, just waiting for yet another rejection. She was tempted to start counting again, just so she didn’t have to hear it. What number had she been on? 32?

“He’s outside this room and he really wants to see you.” 

Nadia wished she’d remembered the number quicker. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somehow she found herself sitting up on the bed, picking at her cuticles to avoid looking at her father (jeez, that was hard to think about) who was sitting a few feet from her. All he had said was hello, but Nadia was too preoccupied with fighting every muscle in her body wanting to run, to respond. A piece of skin fell to floor as she finally gave into her other urge to look up. Thor was looking at her rather intensely, his eyes flickering from her face to her abdomen. She squirmed, struggling to come to terms with the fact that the bloating there wasn’t from lack of food like she had thought. 

Finally, Nadia resolved to suck it up and say hello to her father. She had been in so many worse situations than this; she was just straight up embarrassing herself. “Hi.” She said softly, taking in Thor’s oddly normal looking clothing. She was almost disappointed; his armor was badass. Somehow he realized what she was observing and laughed. Nadia’s body tensed up, wondering what she had done wrong. The god looked down at himself. “I changed out of my armor thinking this would be less intimidating. I take it this isn’t what you expected?” 

Nadia felt the sudden urge to make him like her and shrugged. “I think the armor is pretty badass- I mean cool-“ she stuttered for a moment, not wanting to come off as crude, “looking.” She ran a hand through her dark hair, wanting to change topics as soon as possible. 

“Thank you.” He smiled, his expression then quickly turning more serious. “I don’t know what Agent Johnson told you, but I have been informed of your… experiences.” Thor said, looking sad. “And I’m sorry for not trying harder to keep you.” 

That got Nadia’s attention, her head jerking up and looking her father in the eyes for the first time. “What do you mean?” she said slowly, suspicious. A look of confusion came over the man’s face before clearing. “I suppose your Midgardian system doesn’t inform you of how you ended up there.” His daughter shook her head. “Yeah, there’s a lot of things it should do that it doesn’t.” 

“You were unexpected but not unwanted.” Thor started “Your mother and I meant to raise you.” Nadia crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn’t about to change everything she’d thought for seventeen years after five minutes. “Oh, do tell how that plan went wrong?” 

The girl looked at her father’s face as he drew in a deep breath. He didn’t speak. In her head, her eyes rolled. Was it worth it to make an attempt at being open with him? God only knows that method had screwed her over time and time again. But maybe this time was different. He had come from another freaking galaxy to meet her. He hadn’t done anything to try and hurt her yet. Hell, no one here had done anything she hadn’t provoked. She took her own breath and met blue eyes identical to her own. “Tell me. Please.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Well, shit.” Nadia leaned back against the wall, having just heard the story of her birth. 

“I suppose that’s a good summary, yes.” laughed Thor, seeming to relax back as well. Nadia snorted a laugh. “So, to recap, your parents forced you back to Asgard, leaving me behind because I’m some rare dangerous ‘dalkyrie’ that everyone there hates?”  
“To put it bluntly, yes.” Said Thor, smiling slightly. “You know, you remind of your mother. You have her dark hair and she was brazen like you in the way she spoke.” Nadia fiddled with a hair tie on her wrist. “I kind of always figured she was a junkie who didn’t give a crap about me. I feel sort of bad now.” 

She pulled her knees to her chest, only slightly impeded by the mild swell of her stomach. Thor rose slowly and hesitantly crossed the room. He watched his daughter carefully for signs of discomfort before sitting about a foot away from her on the hospital bed. The thunder god stretched a hand out, attempting to offer comfort, but as soon as it landed on her knee, he felt all her muscles tense underneath it. Nadia’s breathing became short and her eyes fixated on the other end of the room, unblinking. 

Thor quickly removed his hand, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think.” Nadia glanced at him before her eyes shot back to the wall. “No, I’m sorry. I just… I just don’t really like being touched I guess. I’ll try har-harder, if you want.”

The man thought back to when Steve had first brought Bucky to the Avengers compound, how the former brainwashed assassin had avoided any and all touch for the longest time, and still remained sensitive about it. He felt foolish for assuming Nadia would be any different. “No, you don’t need to do that. You take your time to feel more comfortable. I understand. One of my… teammates, I suppose, was very badly abused. He does not like touch either.”

“Oh,” Nadia whispered. “If I’m being honest, no ones ever really cared what I feel. So, uh, this is kind of weird.” Her father smiled sadly at her. “If I have any say in it, things are going to stay weird.” 

Nadia couldn’t help but smile down at her lap. Maybe she could deal with weird.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yikes, it took awhile for me to upload this chapter. I don't really have an excuse tbh. anyways, this story definitely will be finished since I know exactly where I'm going with it, it'll just take a long time. I don't even know if there's anyone reading this lol. if you are though, thank you so much! I'd love some feedback on what you think! enjoy this chapter, the avengers are finally in play!

Nadia, Thor, Tony, and the agents were all gathered outside their base next to Tony’s car, preparing for the trio to depart to the Avengers Compound. They had agreed that Nadia could more than adequate receive treatment, medical care, and training there. 

The teenager in question was eyeing the fancy car in disbelief, backpack clutched tightly in her hands. When they were ready to leave, she nodded her thanks to the agents and stepped into the vehicle. Just two days ago, she was living on the streets, running from foster home after foster home and trying to make it through each day, though sometimes unsure if she even wanted to. 

A tense car ride followed in which Nadia constantly tapped her fingers or feet, never once saying a word. Thor and Tony made small talk amongst themselves after failing to integrate the teenager into their conversation. After a couple hours of that, they pulled up to the Avengers compound. As they did, Nadia couldn’t help but stare out the window in awe at the expansive grounds. 

“Designed it, mostly, myself.” Quipped Tony as he got out of the car behind her. She turned around and gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. Thor and Tony then led Nadia into the main residential section. 

Thor continued to be reminded of Bucky in the way his daughter was hyper vigilant of her surroundings, eyes never seeming to stop moving. He only hoped that this place and its safety could heal her the same way it had Barnes. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the team had been alerted ahead of time as to the situation, and Thor was glad that Tony had been the one to meet the agents with him as it saved the possibility of his untactful responses to things. Still, he couldn’t help but be wary of the rest of the team simply accepting Nadia into their fold. Though at this point, he supposed, they didn’t exactly have a choice. 

Clint remained at home with his family, but everyone else was currently at the compound. Thor wasn’t sure if meeting them all at once was better or worse for Nadia. He watched her carefully as she met each person in turn. 

They all took glances at her stomach but thankfully had the tact not to say anything. After Nadia and Wanda shook hands, Thor gestured the Sokovian over to him. “I believe you and Nadia have similar abilities and… experiences. She fears her powers and struggles to control them. Would you be willing to help her? Not immediately of course, but soon?” She nodded, face drawn. “Her life has been very hard, I can sense that. I will do all I can.” The thunder god nodded, clapping a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you.”

Thor continued watching Nadia as she greeted his teammates. She reached Bucky and looked to his metal arm in surprise. The man made to sheepishly draw it behind his back, but stopped at her whispered “Wow.” She looked up then. “Sorry, that’s rude. It’s just, uh, it’s a really cool prosthetic. I’ve never seen one that good. Sorry.” Bucky smiled, bringing his arm back to his side. “You’re fine, kid. Thanks.” 

Though looking somewhat surprised, Nadia smiled back at him. 

When all the introductions were taken care of, Tony clapped his hands together and said “Alright! So, Nadia you want to see your room? You can decorate it however you want- right now it’s pretty plain.” Her eyes were wide, but she nodded. 

They walked down the main hallway and stopped next door to Wanda’s room. Thor pushed open the door and gestured inside. “Here you go.” He smiled. 

The teenager stepped inside with trepidation, stopping just a few feet past the doorway. She was silent as Tony showed her the en-suite bathroom and the various temperature controls via FRIDAY. Noticing her lack of response, he stopped, looking to Thor. The thunder god stared back at him just as clueless, only to have Tony make a complicated expression at him, which he interpreted to mean ‘She’s your daughter!’ Thor threw back a look he hoped said ‘It’s hardly been a day!’ 

Regardless, he turned to Nadia, saying her name softly to get her attention. “Is everything, um, alright?” The teenager exhaled. “Is this all for me? It’s not, right?” Thor nodded, “It is.” She blinked, wide eyes taking the room in again. “Wow, um, thank you. So much.” 

Thor scratched the back of his neck for a moment before clapping his hands against his thighs. “So, we’ll leave you to settle in. Then you can come to the kitchen for dinner in a bit?” Nadia nodded, not meeting his eyes, and he and Tony left. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Exhausted, Nadia plopped down on the bed only to jump right up again in shock at how soft it was. She reached a hand out to press into it and couldn’t believe how far it sunk in without hitting any springs. All the beds she’d ever slept on at various group and foster homes were old and worn out, creaking every time you shifted. 

Hesitantly, she elected to take a closer look at the rest of the room, peeking into the massive closet and the multitude of drawers. Glancing back at her meager backpack, she laughed to herself at the idea of her possessions ever filling all the space. Deciding not to sit on the bed again just yet, the teenager walked to the large window that took up the vast majority of the far wall. Looking out, she gaped at the expansive grounds.

Forests surrounded a large field, some of it speckled with training equipment, other parts empty. As she fantasized going out there and letting her wings free for the first time in her life, she subconsciously pressed closer to the glass, fingers splaying across it. 

A light knock tapped against the door and Nadia whirled away from the window. “Yeah, yes?” she stuttered out. “It’s Wanda,” came an accented voice “may I come in?” Brushing back a lock of dark hair, she called out her permission. 

Wanda came in, softly closed the door behind her, and settled on the chair at desk near the bed. The sokovian gestured for Nadia to sit before looking around the space. When Nadia didn’t speak, Wanda filled the silence with her own comments. 

“It feels like too much room, doesn’t it? I felt that way too, when I first came. I wondered how anyone could ever have enough things to fill such space.” Despite her trepidation, Nadia found herself agreeing as Wanda spoke. Looking at her backpack on the floor near her feet, she said, “Yeah, I never had much of a reason to settle down and accumulate stuff, I guess.” Wanda nodded along, “It’s nice though, I’ve learned, to have permanence and safety.” She gestured to one of the walls, smiling. “My room is the next one over, you can come see if there’s any clothing you want to borrow or decorations I don’t need.” 

“I, uh, yeah, thank you. But, um, I don’t think much of it would fit, especially if I gain the weight the doctors want me to.” Nadia scratched the back of her neck awkwardly, blushing. 

“Would you mind if I asked if you are keeping the baby?”

All the ease Nadia had settled into went away at Wanda’s query. “Yeah, I would mind. It’s none of your goddamn business. Get out.” 

The sokovian held her hands up in surrender and stood. “I did not intend to upset you. I just sensed very complex emotions in you when it was brought up.” Nadia then stood up too, hands forming fists. “What the hell do you mean, sensed?” 

Wanda seemed to realize she’d screwed up, face forming a grimace. “My powers… they allow me to see into people’s minds. I only wanted to help, I swear.” Nadia laughed aloud, looking away from Wanda. 

“Really? So you just barged into my brain?” She stalked forwards, getting into the other girl’s space, backing her against the door. “You have no fucking right to do that.” 

A vase on the dresser rattled in its place, prompting Wanda’s eyes to dart to it. Nadia clenched her fists and eyes closed, drawing in a sharp breath through her nose. “Get. Out.” Wanda placed a hand on the door handle but didn’t back down. “I can help you. I learned to control my abilities, you can too.” 

“Control,” Nadia grit out “is overrated.” The vase shattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah, I stole that ending line from teen wolf, it's badass so... #sorrynotsorry 
> 
> I don't know when I'll upload again, hopefully before the end of this month though!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty happy with this chapter honestly, we're finally getting into the nitty-gritty of the story. I'm trying to not make Nadia a Mary-Sue type character, but if anyone has constructive criticism about how I'm doing with that I'd really appreciate it! It might seem like she goes back and forth between accepting and defensiveness, but that's a pretty genuine experience of PTSD- recovery is very up and down. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Wanda slammed her hand against the Starkpad installed in the hallway outside Nadia’s room, causing an alert to be sent to all the other Avengers in the compound. Being the closest, Steve saw what was happening first. He stopped short upon seeing the shattered glass and Nadia with her hands held out protectively in front of her. 

Wanda moved back, away from Nadia and towards Steve. “I am so sorry,” she was saying. “I only wanted to help.” Steve looked between the two, at Nadia’s frightened and angry eyes, then to Wanda’s hurt ones. “Okay,” he took a step towards Thor’s daughter “why don’t you guys explain what happened and we can sort it out without anyone getting hurt, yeah?” 

Nadia rolled her eyes. “Sure, let’s do that.” She slapped her hands on her waist. “She thought it would be ‘helpful’ if she _invaded my brain and privacy_ , because apparently that’s a thing you just do?” Steve blinked at her for a second before turning to Wanda.

“While she technically is not wrong,” said the other girl “I did not go into her thoughts, I only told her the emotions I couldn’t help but sense.” 

Nadia looked past Steve to Wanda. “That doesn’t give you the right to ask about what I’m doing with this thing!” She gestured to her stomach. “I met you an hour ago and I found out about it like a day ago!” Steve moved between them again, seeing the tension build. The other occupants of the compound were lurking in the hallway, hesitant as to whether or not they should intervene. 

At this point, however, Nadia was fired up and ready to explode. “You know what? Let’s have this lovely conversation. Because I’m sure that’s what everybody is thinking- ‘What’s the stupid, knocked up teenager gonna do?’ 

Her statement was met, unsurprisingly, with silence. However, Nadia quickly filled it. 

“I’ll tell you what I _want_ to do; I want to get rid of it now and never think about it again. But nooo, it’s past the limit to do that so now we need to take care of it and pretend like it’s a beautiful blessing or some shit, right?” Nadia slammed her fist down on the nightstand and next to it; the light bulb in the lamp crackled then exploded. “I _don’t want it_. I _never_ will.” 

Nadia looked at the faces staring back at her. Some wore expressions of sadness, others of shock, of fear. “Stop with the fake sympathy!” she yelled “You don’t have to pretend to care about me for Thor’s sake or because I-I’m pregnant.” She stopped, turning away from their stares, realizing she had admitted to herself what was happening for the first time. 

But when she turned back to the others, the pain on her face was masked, covered by detachment and the tiniest bit of defeat. “Just get out. Now.” Hearing footsteps fade, Nadia allowed herself to collapse onto the bed and bury her head in her hands. 

Light footsteps made her snap her head up, mask sliding back into place. Stood in the doorway was Bucky, arms folded loosely over his chest. Nadia groaned. “I thought I told everyone to get out.” The man seemed to ignore that, instead opting to lean against the doorframe. 

“I get it, you know. Feeling like they’re only tolerating you because they like someone you’re connected to, or feel bad for you, or somethin’ else. No matter why, when it feels fake it’s infuriating.” 

Nadia scoffed “You know, it’s funny, I’m feeling that right now.” Bucky laughed, startling her into looking at him. “You’re sharp kid, you’ll fit right in.” He motioned to an armchair. “May I?” Nadia nodded shortly. 

“I’m not faking it though, I do get it. I was new here bout a year ago.” He sighed, leaning back in the chair. “I scared them too. I hated that I scared them. I didn’t think I deserved their help.” Bucky stuck a leg out, nudging Nadia’s foot. “Hey, look at me.” 

Slowly, she raised her head, dull blue eyes framed by greasy brown hair. “I know you’re scared of yourself too.” Nadia jerked away from the man. “What are you, some kind of shrink? You don’t know shit about what I feel.” Bucky shrugged. “Maybe I don’t, but I know some of what’s happened to you. I know you haven’t had much control over your life. And I know that I didn’t have control over myself for long time- that I blame myself for letting that happen. So I figure you probably feel the same way.” He ran his hands casually through his hair. “But if I’m wrong, let me know.” 

Nadia toed the carpet with her worn boots, unable to meet Bucky’s eyes. “I guess you’re not.” She breathed in shakily “Sorry. I just- um, I just don’t know what to do with all this. I’ve never had anything like all this fanciness and whatever before and I don’t know what to do with it.” She rubbed her hands together, rough nails scratching her skin. “What did you do?” 

Bucky laughed lightly. “Thor might get pissed at me for suggesting this, but I couldn’t be here for awhile. I went somewhere else, less luxurious, more of a stepping stone between worlds I guess.” 

Nadia shook her head. “No, I don’t want to make Thor angry. I mean, he already just accepted me back and got me a room here and I can’t look ungrateful and I don’t want him to take that back because I can’t go back on the streets now that I know I’m pregnant, I mean I could probably figure it out, I don’t want to beg or anything, I’m sorry, I-I…” 

“Whoa, whoa, hey, slow down kid.” Bucky got up, kneeling in front of Nadia slowly. “I didn’t mean it like that. Hell, I don’t know why I said that at all, I just meant that it would mean Thor might not see you as much since this place is a little off the grid.”

Nadia blinked, cheeks flushing. “Oh. Sorry.” Bucky stood, going back to the chair he’d been occupying. “Nothing to be sorry for. Why don’t we calm down for a bit and then go see if dinner’s ready?”

Nadia seemed to shrink at that suggestion. “I don’t think they’ll want me there after what happened with Wanda.” Bucky waved a dismissive hand. “They welcomed me here even after I killed Stark’s parents, we’re a pretty forgiving bunch.” 

The teenagers raised a confused eyebrow that Bucky returned. “You don’t watch to the news? I was all over that for awhile.” Nadia shook her head. “I don’t really have access to a TV or a phone.” Bucky smirked and waved his metal arm. “Winter Soldier, formerly brainwashed assassin at your service.” Nadia scratched awkwardly at the back of her neck. “Well I knew that, just not the killing Tony Stark’s parents part.” Bucky stood, shrugging. “No big deal, you’re halfway there. I’m sure Steve will happily pull up the news coverage for you. Says this motorcycle stunt I pulled while running from the government is ‘the hottest thing he’s ever seen since me naked’ or whatever.” 

Nadia both laughed and flushed at Bucky’s bluntness “Alright then.”

 

Nadia walked carefully behind Bucky as they entered the kitchen. The super soldier would move to the side to prevent her from being behind him, only for Nadia to move herself back into a defensive position. A product of two different types of PTSD, Bruce noted to himself from his seat at the table. 

This continued until Bucky sat himself on the couch next to Steve, leaving Nadia uncovered. In response she moved herself against the wall, twisting her hands together in distress, knee bouncing frantically. 

Thor looked up from pot he was stirring when they entered the room. Slowly, he set the spoon down and turned to his daughter. “How… Are you feeling better?” Nadia nodded “Yes. I’m, uh, sorry about before- getting angry and all that.” She flicked her eyes around the room, lingering on Wanda for a moment. “I overreacted. So… sorry.” Sheepishly, she tugged at her hair. 

Wanda stood, walking over to Nadia. “All is forgiven. I think you may get your temper from your father,” she glanced over her shoulder at Thor, smiling, “he yelled at a computer for a half hour once.” 

She looked back to Nadia, still smiling, but it faded when she saw the girl’s wide, scared eyes. Thor, too, had been laughing along with the jab, but also turned somber when he saw his daughter’s face. Wanda dropped her voice, looking at Nadia intensely. “He is not a cruel man, I assure you. He never is like that with people, only inanimate objects that he lacks experience with.” She ended with a small smile again, hoping to truly lighten the mood this time. Nadia gave a halfhearted smile back and allowed Wanda to lead her to the table. The rest of the Avengers quickly joined them, passing food and jokes alike across the table. Nadia kept quiet, eating a just small amount of soup, but watching with amusement rather than distress. 

It wasn't much, but it was a start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please give kudos if you're enjoying this so far and maybe a comment too!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm pretty happy with this chapter and I feel like I've hit my stride with this fic lately. However I have found it a little hard to write Bruce just because I feel like I'm not getting his voice right. I'd love some feedback of what you guys think of my writing of him. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

That night, Nadia didn’t sleep. Rather than getting into the enormous king-sized bed, she dragged a blanket and pillow into the walk-in closet. There, she could lock the bedroom door and the closet door, leaving her doubly protected. Sitting back on the pillow, she exhaled deeply. Her backpack was next to her, knife sitting on top of it for easy access. She closed her eyes for a few minutes at a time to allow herself to rest, but she never actually fell asleep. It was how she learned to live- you can’t be a deep sleeper on the streets; it’s just too risky. 

Around six in the morning Nadia took stock of everything in her backpack- her version of a morning routine. Carefully she counted how many stolen protein bars she has left, realizing she’d soon need to take more from the kitchen here somehow. 

Rubbing her eyes, Nadia crept to the bathroom. A look into the massive shower reveals an array of products with foreign names and Nadia can’t help but wonder if these people have ever even heard of ‘Suave’. Upon turning on the shower, she was shocked to find that the coldest setting was really only lukewarm. As she undressed, she made a point to face away from the mirror and look away from her own body as much as possible as she washed. 

It’s only after drying off with an amazingly fluffy towel, that she turned to the mirror to brush her hair. Her old brush is missing half its bristles, but it does the job. As Nadia stretches her arms up to work through a particularly tough tangle, the towel untucks itself, falling to the floor. The teenager freezes, unable to look away from the small swell of her abdomen. With shaking fingers, she lowers her hand to lightly brush along the taught skin. _’How did I not realize?_ she thought, cursing herself for missing the window of opportunity. Sure her period cycle wasn’t at all regular, but she never missed more than a three months in a row. How had she missed _six?_

There had been a pregnant girl in one of the group homes Nadia had stayed in a couple years back. Nadia remembered her saying babies started kicking around five or six months. The doctor had said that she was around that far along. Curiously, Nadia pressed her fingertips into the firm bump. What would it feel like? Was she supposed to feel kicks already? Maybe she had felt them and not realized what it was. 

When she met her own eyes in the mirror again, Nadia jerked her hand away from her stomach, quickly snatching the towel off the floor and covering herself. She didn’t want to acknowledge that this was happening because that meant remembering _how_ it happened. 

Going back into the bedroom, Nadia dressed in her other set of clothes- a pair of well-worn jeans and a sweatshirt “proudly” claiming her support for the high school of a town in Pennsylvania one of her long-term foster homes had been in.  
There wasn’t a clock in the room, and Nadia wondered aloud what time it was. A disembodied robotic voice suddenly announced, “It is six thirty-seven in the morning, Miss Nadia.” The girl held her hand to her chest, remembering after the fact that Tony Stark had told her about Friday, the AI that ran the building. After recovering from her minor heart attack, Nadia thanked the ceiling, feeling just a little crazy. 

 

Nadia silently padded into the common area to find that Natasha was already there, nursing a steaming mug as she flipped through a magazine. The Russian looked up as she entered, offering a small smile before going back to her reading. 

Despite being told she could help herself to anything in the compound, Nadia was hesitant to go into the kitchen for breakfast and opted to loiter by the couches. After almost two minutes of this, Natasha looked up again and gestured to the kitchen area with her mug. “You can head over there for breakfast if you’re hungry. Bruce is making eggs, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind making you some.” 

With a whispered ‘Thanks’, the teenager tentatively approached the large kitchen island. “Hey kid,” Bruce greeted “you want breakfast? I’ve got eggs and toast.” His voice was casual and even-toned, and Nadia found herself letting some of the tension drain out of her body. “Um, sure, if you don’t mind.” She replied, taking a seat at one of the bar stools. 

Bruce soon set down a plate of scrambled eggs and buttered toast in front of her before sitting next to her and tucking into his own serving. They mostly ate in silence until Bruce finished and looked to find Nadia had barely ate half. “Are they not good? Tony says I overcook toast.” He laughed. Nadia’s head shot up. “No, no, they’re great. I’m just kinda full.” 

Bruce exhaled, setting down his napkin. “When you’re malnourished for so long normal portions can be too much at first, but with your pregnancy you need to be eating as much as you can.” Nadia fiddled awkwardly with her fork, not meeting Bruce’s eyes. 

Bruce continued with slight trepidation. “Thor told me that you don’t want the baby and that’s fine. We won’t push that issue.” He paused, seemed to think carefully about his words. “But if your body doesn’t recognize that. If you don’t take care of yourself it’ll put everything into supporting the fetus and you’ll get even unhealthier as a result.” 

He waited for Nadia to respond, getting up to clear their plates. “I get that.” she mumbled. Bruce gave her a small smile from the sink. “Great. I wanted to do a basic exam on you at some point today, just to check on everything and then we can go over a diet plan and protocol- dos and don’ts, etc. Maybe an ultrasound, I know they did one when you were with Coulson but-“ he abruptly cut himself off when Nadia pushed herself away from the bar, shaking her head. “I don’t th-think you need to do that. Just, uh, print me some information or whatever. No exam. Thanks, bye!” 

With that falsely casual dismissal, Nadia turned to rush out of the room. She got to the hallway, looking down at her rapidly moving feet and digging her fingernails into the skin of her arms. Because of this, she ran right into Thor, stumbling back in alarm to moment her head collided with his Henley-clad chest. “Oh, I’m s-so sorry. I didn’t mean it, I swear! It’s my fault, I wasn’t looking, I-I… I’m sorry.” 

Her father gently placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her shaking form. As soon as he touched her, Nadia went stock still, eyes going to her feet once again. Thor looked over her head to Bruce and Natasha, who were looking on in concern. Bruce’s eyes were wide and apologetic. “I just brought up doing an exam on her. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Thor nodded solemnly, eyebrows drawing together. Turning back towards to sleeping quarters, he led Nadia to his room. “It’s alright, let’s just talk about what upset you, okay?” Nadia only nodded, eyes still glued to the floor. 

When they reached his room, Thor took a seat on his bed and patted to space next to him, meaning for Nadia to join him so they could talk. Instead, she sank to her knees in front of him, still not meeting his eyes. 

“I-I’m sorry. I’ll, I’ll take whatever punishment you give me. I’ll do all the chores- I’m good at cleaning, or, um,” she placed a shaking hand on his knee, sliding it up his thigh “I can do whatever else you like. I can be good, I promise.” 

As he realized Nadia’s implications, Thor’s eyes went wide and he scrambled backwards, away from her hand. “No, no, _no_.” He said, shocked. “That is not,” he shook his head “just no, you do not have to do that. _Never._ Do you understand?” Nadia nodded, cheeks darkening in shame. 

Thor ran a hand through his hair, breathing out shakily. “I only wanted to discuss what Bruce said that bothered you. I wanted to sort things out so you were not uncomfortable.” Nadia met his eyes for the first time since things had started.

Her blue eyes were brimming with unshed tears that she seemed determined hold back. “Oh. I’m really sorry. Like, _really, really_ sorry.” 

Before Thor could respond, she darted out of the room. After a few seconds he heard a door slam down the hall. As the god of thunder sat in shock, Steve appeared in his doorway, blearily rubbing his eyes. 

“What’s going on? I heard people running around and a door slamming.” Thor dropped his head into his hands. “It is so much worse than I feared, Captain, so much worse.” 

The super soldier’s forehead creased in confusion. “What happened?” Thor opened his mouth and then snapped it closed as he realized he had no idea how to say what Nadia had just done. Before he could attempt to explain again, FRIDAY interrupted. 

“Mr. Odinson, I thought it prudent to bring to your attention that Nadia is attempting to harm herself in her room.” Both of the Avenger’s eyes went wide and they immediately ran down the hallway, hoping they weren’t too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are good for the soul ;)  
> Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is quite short, for which I apologize, I just felt like for what was happening it was best formatted this way. You'll get to learn a little more about Nadia's childhood here, so I hope you enjoy!

Nadia’s hands continued shaking and she slammed the door behind her, leaning against it for a moment before darting to her backpack in the closet. Shoving all the items she had taken out of it back in, she dashed over to the windows and attempted to wrench one open. Letting out a groan of frustration when it wouldn’t give, she sank onto the floor, bag clutched between bony hands. 

“Shit, shit, shit, _shit_.” She mumbled out. Fumbling through her belongings, she pulled out the old razor blade she kept for these moments specifically. Nadia rolled up the sleeve of her sweatshirt and laid the blade against her scarred skin. 

The pain cut through her racing thoughts just like the blade cut through her skin. The power and anger building within her abruptly stopped and Nadia leaned her head back against the wall in relief. She was going to make another cut when Thor and Steve burst through the door. 

Both men lunged towards Nadia before she could move. Within seconds Steve had wrenched the blade from her hand and Thor was taking in her injuries. Thor kept stealing glances at her face, expecting her to lash out and fight back at any moment. It was only when he asked her to get up so they could go to medical did he see what was actually happening. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 _Just fade away._ Nadia told herself _Block it all out._ Strong arms lifted her into a bridal hold and began walking out of the room. Nadia was far too disassociated to recognize any of this; she just kept murmuring, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Over and over again, on an endless, detached loop. 

The teenager’s mind kept slipping between worlds. Sometimes she was so far into her mind that everything was blank, words not registering as if they were another language, hands touching a body she was no longer in. Everything was so far away. 

Then she was back in that dark bedroom, just eleven years old and on her knees on a grimy floor in front of a man that had told the government he was going to take care of her, but secretly expected her to pay him back for that in _favors_. Eleven years old and throwing up after she left that room. Eleven years old and trying to kill herself with a dozen Advil, only to throw those up too, then getting beaten for “stealing” them from the medicine cabinet. 

(pressure on her stomach. hands poking, prodding. needle in her arm. voices. her name.)

“Nadia.” “Nadia” “Nadia I am so sorry.” 

(shaking. she was shaking. rattling. voices. yelling. she was yelling. hands. pressure. restraints.)

Then she was eight years old again, locked in an unfinished basement. She’d been bad, so bad. Ms Johnson said families didn’t want bad girls. She’d tried so hard but the other kids had made her so angry- calling her short, ugly. She hadn’t meant to, she tried to tell them that. She didn’t know why the light exploded. She hadn’t touched it, she swore! Eight and crying in the darkness. Eight and hitting herself to stop the shelves from rattling. Eight when she discovered that pain gave her control. 

Then she was sixteen and living on the streets. Hiding out in an alley, curled up on the cold, grimy concrete. Sixteen and stealing to survive. Barely surviving when _he_ found her there. Sixteen when _he_ held her against the dirty concrete. Sixteen when she went limp and gave up, tears dripping down onto the hand muffling her sobs. 

(warm hands. cool metal. arguing. a pinch. darkness.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? I wasn't sure about the things I put in parentheses and how much that'll make sense as far as formatting goes, so if you have any feedback please comment it! The next chapter will be from the POV of everyone else so you can see what actually happening while Nadia was dissociating.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all. I'm so sorry for not updating for the entire summer. I feel like everyone says this, but life really went to shit for awhile and writing got put on the back burner. Basically my parents are getting divorced and we started moving house at the same time I moved into college (yep, that too- I'm a college freshman now), I was worked 40 hours a week before I left for school and basically life didn't leave room for fanfic. So again, I'm so sorry for those of you waiting so long for an update, hope you enjoy this chapter :)

“Dr Cho!” Thor and Steve burst through the doors of the medical wing, Bruce quickly following behind them. The petite woman came around a corner and immediately went to work setting Nadia up on a bed when she saw the girl’s state. 

As soon as she was safely on the bed, Thor withdrew into the corner of the room, dragging a hand over his haggard face. He allowed Steve to answer the doctors’ questions of what had happened, too busy running over the events in his mind to formulate a helpful response. 

It was his fault. He’d abandoned her, assumed she’d be fine, and blindly followed his parents. Looking over at Nadia’s prone form, thin limbs shaking and raspy apologies being spoken on a loop, Thor knew he’d failed as a father. In the slightest whisper, he answered her words with an “I’m so sorry” of his own and fled the room.

 

Steve looked back at Thor’s distress and knew the god was in no condition to explain Nadia’s state. As Dr Cho and Bruce worked to stabilize Nadia, Steve struggled to inform of them of what was going on. 

Though Nadia remained prone on the bed, the lights in the room flickered violently. Then a light bulb exploded, glass flying across the floor. “Steve,” Bruce called as he rushed to aid Dr Cho when Nadia began convulsing, “get Bucky down here now. We need the extra strength and Thor’s out.” 

Steve strode to the intercom and then back to the teenager once Bucky was on his way. Despite her sickly and weak appearance, her body proved extraordinarily difficult to restrain. Nadia’s strength was clearly derived, and comparable, to Thor’s and the super soldier willed Bucky to hurry. 

When he did arrive, Bucky paused in doorway for barely a moment, muttered “Shit”, shook his head, then joined Steve in holding Nadia down to prevent her from hurting herself and everyone else. 

The former assassin looked on as Banner prepared something in a syringe while he talked in low voices with Dr Cho. Gritting his teeth as Nadia’s body gave an especially violent jerk, he asked “Hey Banner, Cho, what’s that?” 

The two doctors turned around as if surprised by the question, and Steve gave him a slightly questioning look as well. “It’s a sedative, it’s best at this point if her put her out and let her body calm down.” Bucky huffed out a breath and shook his head. “What’s that gonna teach her? That’s every time she gets worked up we knock her out?” Bruce and Dr Cho shared an uneasy glance, seeming to not have a response. 

“Everyone back off.” Bucky grunted. No one moved. “Everybody back off!” he repeated, louder this time. “Buck,” started Steve “I don’t think that’s a good idea…” 

“Oh, so we just enforce everything she’s been told her entire life? That’s when she loses control she gets punished? If we do that, how are we any better than anyone else she’s ever lived with?” The others seemed to consider this for a moment and Steve was about to lift his hands when Nadia’s hands crackled with electricity. 

The two supersoliders were thrown backwards abruptly, leaving scorch marks in their wake. Bruce immediately moved in with syringe and jammed the needle into Nadia’s neck, leaving her body slumped against the table. 

 

Bucky was sat in a chair by Nadia’s bedside, rubbing at the stump of his left arm. It had short circuited when Nadia’s electricity had hit it, and Tony had taken it to his lab for repairing. He gaze darted upward when the teenager groaned, pushing herself up onto her elbows. She looked around the empty lab, her eyes finally settling on Bucky’s lack of arm. 

“What did I do?” 

Bucky was quick to settle Nadia. “Nothing, nothing. You just had…” he scratched at his head, thinking carefully about his words “a panic attack, or maybe a flashback? I’m not sure. But nobody’s hurt, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Nadia laughed incredulously, gesturing to Bucky. “Clearly I did something if your fucking arm is gone!” 

He waved her off immediately. “Nah, just a little electrical outburst from your thunder side- short circuited the wiring. Tony’s fixing it right now.” 

“Still,” Nadia said, picking at her nails “sorry.” They sat in silence for a bit longer before Bucky couldn’t contain himself. “Do you remember what happened?” The teenager curled in on herself and looked up at the ceiling. “Kinda.” She sighed. “I guess everyone knows what, um, I did with Thor.” Her cheeks flushed, but she continued on. “I remember… you know,” she motioned to her bandaged arm “cutting. And then Thor and Steve coming in, not much after that.” 

Bucky cleared his throat and leaned to the side in the chair, keeping his body language casual. “You said a bunch of stuff while you were out of it; mostly ‘I’m sorry’ and some other things that weren’t really coherent. Do you know what you were talking about?”

Nadia cursed under her breath and tugged at her hair. “Shit. I probably thought I was a kid again or something.” When she didn’t elaborate, Bucky took his chances and pushed. “Wanna talk about it?” Laughing bitterly, Nadia met his eyes. “Not really, no. But it’s all on my file anyway. No way you guys didn’t read it yet.” Bucky sat up, moving to rest his chin in his palm. “Fair; Tony, Nat, and probably a couple others probably did. But I didn’t. Like I told you earlier, I’ve got the complicated background too. My file’s more than a few inches wide.” He let her think for a minute, hoping she’d share on her own accord. Eventually he was rewarded. 

“It’s just hard stuff to even explain initially. Saying all the official terms and things make me freak.” “Well,” said Bucky, standing “we could file swap? You learn about my shit and I learn about yours?” Nadia considered this for a while before getting up as well.

“Fuck it. I’m stuck here anyway, mine as well get the dirt on at least one other person.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the short chapter but I felt like if I made it longer it would've taken away from certain aspects of it, hope you enjoy nonetheless!

“So you once lived in a house that was full of taxidermy? No way in hell.” Bucky was leaned back on the couch in the common room, feet up on the ottoman. “Seriously!” Nadia laughed, “I had a deer head staring me down every time I tried to fall asleep. The guys made all the kids brush them every other day!”

“Jesus Christ,” Bucky rubbed a hand over his face “this century is full of crazies.” Nadia thumbed through her file, pausing on sections marked up with highlighter and red pen. “You know, they said I had a psychotic break when I was like thirteen or something.” 

Bucky didn’t react outwardly, just continued flipping through the papers they had spread out on the common room coffee table. “Yeah?” Nadia rubbed the paper between her fingers. “I didn’t talk to anyone for months after I got out one of my worst foster homes. I would just scream and punch at anyone that tried to talk to me. Made me have a ton of supernatural ‘outbursts’, or whatever you wanna call them.” Nadia dug at the carpet with the toe of her boot. “After that I got sent to a group home for ‘at risk kids’,” she leaned back on the couch, huffing slightly “it was a fucking mess there. The staff couldn’t control us, I don’t even know if they cared enough to. The other kids were nice enough, but there were tons of fights all the time and people would take your shit. I ran away after a few years.” 

Bucky looked up at her hesitantly. “But better than your last foster home, huh?” Nadia nodded, not meeting his eyes. “Yeah, it was just one guy there but somehow they let him have a bunch of kids. He um… he sucked. Let’s just say he had no business being around kids.” Tears gathered in her eyes. “I wasn’t great before I went to him but what happened there, it just… broke me.” The teenager scrubbed roughly at her eyes. “Sorry.”

“You don’t _ever_ have to apologize for any of your feelings, kid.” Bucky said gently, laying down the papers on the table. “When I was the Soldier, my last… handler, I guess, he wasn’t a good guy either. I mean obviously- he ran a secret agency that was trying to take over the government- he was no saint.” He laughed under his breath and Nadia’s lips quirked up at the side. “But he was real bad to me too. Didn’t see me as anything more than a machine for him to control. Hell, I’m this enhanced super soldier and he could stop with me one little slap. I wasn’t a person the way I am now but I still had _some_ sense of freethinking. I just couldn’t fight him. I could beat up on anyone else easily… but not him.” Bucky dragged his hands down his face before looking up at Nadia again. “He’d come visit me late when none of the others were around and just beat into me that I was nothing except his, that I’d never be anything else.” 

The two sat in silence for a long while. Both were unaware of Thor and Steve behind the wall bordering the common room. Steve had his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans. “Christ, he hasn’t even told me some of that stuff. I mean, I knew it happened, but not that it made him feel like that.” He turned to Thor, pushing off the wall when he noticed how the god had gone stoic. Steve placed a hand on Thor’s large shoulder. 

“I didn’t protect her.” He said, staring ahead blankly. “It is my duty as a parent to protect her, and I failed.” Steve didn’t respond for a moment, searching for the right words. “You didn’t let her suffer on purpose. If you did that, you would’ve failed. But you didn’t.” He paused. “Did I fail Bucky because I let him suffer in the hands of Hydra?” That got Thor to turn to him. “No! Of course not.” Steve nodded. “Exactly. I felt like you for awhile- that I should’ve searched harder for him after he fell; that I should’ve done something, anything. But I didn’t do anything wrong; and neither did you. The only thing we have to do know is support them in their recovery. That’s what’s important.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nadia had her wrapped around herself, shaking just slightly as tears ran silently down her face. “I don’t want to be broken.” She whispered. Bucky scooted closer to her on the couch. “You’re not broken, and neither am I. We just a little bent out of shape but hey, most of us here are.” Nadia sniffled, her fingers digging into her upper arms just slightly. Bucky breathed in deeply, slowly exhaling. “Can I hug you?” he asked carefully. 

Nadia looked up at him, eyes shining with tears. Ever so slightly, she nodded. “You can say no,” Bucky emphasized “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Nadia nodded again, more forcefully this time. “I just haven’t been hugged in a really long time. But I want to, I think.” Bucky moved in, arms slowly and softly coming to rest around Nadia’s thin frame. “Let me know if you want out, kay?” After just a few seconds, Nadia relaxed into Bucky’s hold, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” she repeated over and over again as Bucky shushed her. “You’re okay kid, it’s all over. You’re okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just want to make it clear that there will be NO romantic relationship between Nadia and Bucky. I mean I already put Bucky with Steve, plus Nadia is underage, and there's no way she'd be capable of a healthy romantic relationship at this point in her life, so yeah, wanted to make sure nobody was expecting that lol


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey... remember this story? ya its not abandoned. I'm just crap at managing my life and college has been kicking my ass. if there's anyone still reading this, don't be deterred by super long waits between updates. I'm constantly thinking about this and writing paragraphs a few times a week and it's definitely not going anywhere. I know the whole plot line and I'm super excited to get into it. 
> 
> hope you enjoy this chapter- featuring stucky fluff and Auntie Nat TM

Much later that day, after the commencement of what would later be referred to as ‘The Great Hug of Nadia’s First Week”, Steve and Bucky were lying in bed, trying to fall asleep. “Thor’s jealous, I think.” Steve said lightly. “Ya think?” Bucky replied, just as casual. Steve shrugged. “I’m pretty sure he feels like he’s supposed to be the one taking care of Nadia and is mad at himself and you that you seem to be doing it instead of him.” 

Bucky laughed lowly. “When did you become a shrink, Rogers?” Steve shoved Bucky’s metal shoulder with his own. “Oh fuck off, Barnes.” Bucky smirked and quickly moved to straddle his partner. “I’ll give you fuck.” He leaned down to kiss Steve slow and deep. They continued that way for a short while before their exhaustion won over sex drive. 

“I’ll talk to Thor about how I felt about you when I came back.” Steve nodded in agreement. Good idea.” They’d discussed how Bucky felt he owed Steve a certain version of himself at first, unsure of the expectations of their relationship- how it was easier to be vulnerable with other people that he didn’t need to have a defined dynamic with. Steve turned his head then, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of Bucky’s head. “I’m real proud of you, ya know that?”

Bucky burrowed deeper into their bed and smiled. “Yeah punk, I know.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A week later, Nadia was slowly getting accustomed to her new life. She was still refusing to see any sort of mental health specialist and was also incredibly resistant to any other sort of medical treatment, but there were fewer outbursts in general, so long as no one pushed her too hard. Tensions still remained relatively high between Wanda and Nadia, though everyone at the compound was on a campaign to resolve that. Thanks to strictly enforced diet from Bruce, Nadia was steadily gaining weight. This of course meant that she was already looking much more visibly pregnant, something that she struggled immensely with.

“We could go shopping if you wanted,” Natasha suggested lightly one afternoon during lunch “get some more clothes and things for your room?” Nadia frowned and pushed her grilled chicken around her plate. “No thanks.” 

“C’mon kid, you can’t wear giant sweatshirts all the time. It’s summer, you’re going to overheat in that thing.” Bucky pushed. He was one of the few people who could push Nadia’s limits without an outburst. It was really a good thing because he could get her to do the things she needed to do, which she frequently resisted. “This place has good AC, I’m fine.” The teenager grumbled, shoving a piece of chicken in her mouth and chewing grumpily. 

“Fine then,” replied Bucky flippantly. “I guess you’ll just sweat buckets when Thor takes you outside to work on using your wings.” Nadia sat upright in her chair and he and Natasha smirked at each other across the table. The girl seemed to be resisting a smile. “Seriously? You’re not messing with me? You better not being messing with me.”

“I’m not,” said Bucky, folding his arms behind this head “but you do need more clothes regardless and we aren’t above not letting you fly until you get them.” Nadia rolled her eyes. “Dicks.” 

Thor, who had joined them, raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing. Nadia huffed at him but was clearly relenting. “Okay, fine. Can we go now? I, uh, really want to fly.” Her father smiled at her. “Of course. Finish your meal and we can leave.” 

 

Natasha drove the plain SUV out of the compound, Bucky in the passenger seat next to her and Thor and Nadia in the back. The teenager was fidgeting with the sleeves of her sweatshirt, pressed as far into the door as she could. 

When they arrived at the Target, Nadia let Natasha take charge of the shopping trip, only shrugging when she was offered options. Eventually the older woman started just adding things to the cart, telling Nadia she could just see what she thought after trying them on. The adults all slowed down and looked to Nadia as they passed the childcare section, but Nadia pointedly looked away and kept walking. 

A couple hours later, the four were on their way back to the compound with a fair amount of bags in the trunk. The moment the car rolled to a stop, Nadia jumped out, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Thor followed, and almost missed what she said as he looked at her in awe. For the first time since he had met her, she looked her age- like an excited teenager without a care in the world. “-practice now?” She was saying. Thor shook his head quickly to clear it. “Sorry?” Nadia seemed sheepish and calmed her body language. “Can we go practice now?” Thor smiled at her. “Of course. Just put on one of your new shirts first- it’s hot out.” His daughter’s expression darkened significantly but she grabbed her bags without complaint and went inside. Natasha smirked at her teammate as she took the remaining bags from the trunk. “Very dad of you.” Thor blushed lightly and looked down at his shoes, following her through the door.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fifteen minutes later, Nadia still hadn’t emerged from her room. “Nadia?” called Thor, knocking on her door. “Uh, just a minute.” She responded shakily. As oblivious to certain social cues he could be, Thor knew something wasn’t right. “Is everything okay?” he asked, Though she called out an ‘All good!’, Nadia voice trembled and the god could hear stuttered breathing. Thor quickly returned to the common area to ask Natasha for help. “I believe she is having some sort of trouble with her clothing. I figured you would be of more help than Barnes.” Natasha smiled at him and went to the teenager’s door. 

“Nadia? It’s Nat, can I come in?” When she got no answer, the agent opened the door. Inside, she saw Nadia sitting on the floor, surrounded by her new clothes and smashed pieces of mirror. She rushed to the girl’s side, pushing the shards away from them. “What’s wrong honey?” She asked, going into ‘Auntie Nat’ mode, taking on the same persona she used with Clint’s children. The girl fidgeted with a shirt, rubbing the material between her fingers. “I- I can’t look at myself.” Ah, so that explained at the smashed mirror. “Now that I know it’s not just bloating I don’t want to look at myself even more. It’s just so _there._ And all those maternity shirts we got don’t hide it at all and I hate them. I just wanted this to go away and if it can’t I at least wanted to pretend it isn’t happening.” 

Natasha’s heart clenched at the young woman’s pain and carefully raised a hand to pull her into her chest. “Let’s put on one of those oversized shirts you got as pajamas, alright? We can go online tonight and find you things that’ll make you feel more comfortable.” The teenager looked up to the woman, gratitude obvious in her eyes. “Really? But you spend so much money on this stuff and I don’t want to be ungrateful and-“ 

“Shhh,” Natasha cut her off “that was all on Tony’s credit card and trust me, it’s nothing to him. Besides, we can always return it and get the money back.” Nadia nodded hesitantly and Natasha stood up, holding out a hand to her. “Now come on, I want to see these kickass wings I’ve heard about. I bet they’re better than Wilson’s.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone who was free had gathered in the field outside to see Nadia fly. Sitting on and leaning against some training obstacles was Natasha, Bucky, Steve, Sam, Vision, and Wanda. Clint was with his family and Tony and Bruce were working on Stark Industries tech. Thor was standing opposite his daughter, explaining his (basic) knowledge of dalkyries. “I don’t know if you’ve ever gotten the chance to practice like this before, but you should be able to bring out your wings at will. I’m not sure how though, so, ah, that may take some figuring out on your part.” Nadia looked unsure as she glanced over at her audience. “Um, so I guess I’ll just try thinking about them coming out?” Thor nodded. “That would be good place to start. Don’t feel bad if you can’t, it’s not-“ He cut himself off as dark, raven-like wings erupted from Nadia’s shoulder blades. Huffing out a laugh, she grinned. “Easier than I thought, huh?” Thor beamed back at her, never having seen dalkyrie wings up close before. 

Nadia lifted her hands up to brush lightly at her feathers. “Whoa.” she whispered, “I can feel that! I’ve never got to like, check them out before.” 

The other avengers, too, were in awe. “It’d be even cooler if we could see them work!” teased Bucky, snickering when Steve elbowed him to shut up. Nadia closed her eyes, seemingly trying to concentrate. After a few moments, the appendages began to move back and forth, creating a breeze that blew the girl’s hair around her face. Suddenly, Nadia’s body lifted off the ground and the girl was hovering a few meters in the air, wings flapping back and forth. 

Her bright blue eyes were wide with wonder as she did a small circle in the air, the audience clapping as she dropped to the ground, stumbling slightly as she landed. “Holy shit,” she breathed, “that was… amazing.” Thor was grinning at his daughter. “That it was.”


End file.
